Press Releases

Washington, D.C.—Yesterday, Representative Rosendale and more than a dozen colleagues sent a letter to the co-chairs of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet—U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Debra Haaland—to seek answers as to why mandated responsibilities have been neglected. 

The Wildland Fire Management Policy Committee was created by President Donald J. Trump by Executive Order 13976 in January of 2021 to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.

Per the Executive Order, the Wildland Fire Subcabinet is required to meet quarterly. Currently, there is no record such meetings have occurred to date.

The letter states that the Wildland Fire Management Policy Committee was created to provide “a single focal point of responsibility for policy leadership and accountability for cost controls” for federal wildland fire management. As this past summer demonstrated, the efforts of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet are more important now than ever.

This year in the U.S., approximately 47,000 fires have burned throughout more than 6.5 million acres. The Letter calls on Secretary Haaland and Secretary Vilsack to convene the Wildland Fire Subcabinet, fulfill their obligations under the Executive Order, and develop and implement a strategic plan to address the wildfire crisis that is impacting so many Americans.

Representative Rosendale’s letter also requests information to clarify what actions were taken, or more likely—not taken, by the Secretaries to prevent wildfire disasters.

This letter was cosigned by Bruce Westerman (R-AK), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Cliff Bentz (R-OR), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Young Kim (R-CA), Barry Moore (R-AL), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Pete Stauber (R-MN), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA).

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